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Comic Book Day: Pull List for July 10th, 2013

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Course of the Force may be in full effect and you may be furiously working on your Comic-Con dealer’s room checklist, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy this week’s bounty of brand new comics. From more of Brian Wood’s Star Wars to the start of “Trinity War” to Jonathan Hickman’s savage sci-fi western East of West and more, it’s Comic Book Day, so peep our top picks and revel in the splendor of this week’s pull list.

Top Picks

Star Wars #7 | Brian Wood, Ryan Kelly, Dan Parsons

It’s only fitting that Brian Wood’s excellent Star Wars ongoing series is our top pick the same week that Course of the Force launches, but we’ll chalk it up to serendipity rather than Jedi mind tricks. This issue sees Wood’s Local collaborator Ryan Kelly assuming art duties, and fans will not be disappointed. Wood’s narrative continues to lend a wonderful depth to these characters that many of us know only from the films. It gives a sense of context and growth to their journey that wasn’t missing from the films per se, but wasn’t as evident. One really gets the sense of the weight of the Rebellion’s fate resting on Leia’s shoulders, Luke’s desire to prove himself after fleeing Tatooine, and even Vader’s desire to regain his position as the Emperor’s right hand man – they all come to the forefront. This issue features an awful lot of table-setting, but it’s all in the service of advancing the plot. To put it in terms of Sum 41 album titles, it’s all killer, no filler.

Justice League #22 | Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Joe Prado

The official kickoff to “Trinity War”, DC’s massive summer crossover event more than a year in the making, hits the ground running, pausing ever so briefly to drop breadcrumbs and set the table for events to come. One can tell that Geoff Johns meticulously went over this issue with a fine-toothed comb to wring the maximum amount of narrative out of each panel. Ivan Reis and Joe Prado’s artwork continues to dazzle, especially when it comes to the larger than life situations and personalities of JusticeLeague. The exposition moves at a brisk pace and there’s more of the “war is coming” talk, but overall this is an auspicious start to an event that we can’t wait to see unfold.

East of West #4 | Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta

The powerhouse team of Hickman and Dragotta continue to weave a spellbinding sci-fi western narrative in East of West #4. Dragotta’s blend of classical western elements with eye-catching character design continues to dazzle, giving Hickman a wonderful canvas on which to play around in the apocalyptic waste. To his credit, Hickman continues to dial up the violence and heady philosophical questions in equal measure, making those shocking moments and intense panels feel truly earned. The story may seem a little difficult to get into so far, given its impressive density and complexity compared to its relatively small number of issues, but like some of Hickman’s best work, the longer you stick with it, the bigger the payoff. Don’t sleep on this truly excellent new(-ish) series.